• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Lincecum, Giants try to cool down streaking Brewers

May 27, 2011 - 3:04 PM (Sports Network) - Not having reigning NL Rookie of the Year Buster Posey behind the plate could be costly for the defending World Series champion San Francisco Giants. They will begin a seven-game road trip tonight without Posey in the opener of a three-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers.

Posey suffered torn ligaments in his left ankle and a broken bone in his lower left leg, and will most likely undergo surgery in the near future. Posey hasn't been officially ruled out for the season and is expected to consult with more specialists before that prognosis has been made.

The slugging backstop, who batted .305 with 18 homers and 67 runs batted in a year ago, suffered the injury in a collision with Florida's Scott Cousins during Wednesday's 7-6 loss in 12 innings. Cousins scored the tie-breaking run by colliding with Posey. Posey is riding a 13-game hitting streak and is batting .284 with four home runs and 21 RBI this season. Eli Whiteside will take over the No. 1 spot behind the plate, while the club purchased the contract of Triple-A Fresno catcher Chris Stewart to provide depth.

"I'm not going to try to be Buster," Whiteside said on the club's website. "He's our four-hole hitter and playing every day. I'm just going to go out there and do my best."

Whiteside went 0-for-2 in Thursday's 1-0 loss to the Marlins and starting pitcher Ryan Vogelsong was outdueled by Florida's Anibal Sanchez in the hard- luck loss. Vogelsong suffered his first loss of the season (3-1) and delivered eight innings of one-run ball with three strikeouts and one walk. Sanchez went the distance for the shutout and fanned eight San Francisco batters.

The Giants will also visit St. Louis for four games and are slated to send ace and two-time NL Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum to the mound Friday. Lincecum hopes to lift the club's spirits in the aftermath of Posey's devastating injury and is coming off a three-hit shutout of Oakland that lowered his ERA to 2.06. Lincecum struck out six A's hitters to improve to 4-4 in 10 starts this season and 3-3 in six home outings.

Lincecum, a right-hander, has allowed only three earned runs in his previous four trips to the mound (29 2/3 innings) and owns five shutouts in his career. Nicknamed "The Freak," Lincecum retired a career-best 21 straight batters against the Athletics and will face Milwaukee for the eighth time in his career. In seven starts against the Brewers, he is 2-3 with a pedestrian 4.62 ERA. However, Lincecum is 2-0 with a 0.60 ERA in his last two starts at Miller Park.

Milwaukee has been arguably the hottest team in baseball lately with six straight wins and a 13-3 mark in its previous 16 games. The club is a perfect 6-0 on a nine-game homestand that ends this weekend.

The Brewers are coming off back-to-back sweeps of Colorado and Washington, and recorded a 6-4 win over the Nationals on Wednesday behind seven strong innings from newcomer Zack Greinke. Greinke was reached for three runs and five hits with 10 strikeouts to improve to 3-1 on the season. LaTroy Hawkins got two outs in the eighth inning and Kameron Loe went the rest of the way for his first save.

"(Zack) had the one inning that got away from him. It happened quickly," said Milwaukee manager Ron Roenicke.

Greinke also homered and Prince Fielder drove in four runs for Milwaukee, which extended its home winning streak to nine games, a Miller Park record.

The Brewers are 19-6 as the host this season and are scheduled to activate speedy outfielder Nyjer Morgan from the 15-day disabled list today. Morgan has been sidelined since May 6 with a fractured left middle finger. The club also claimed infielder Josh Wilson off waivers from Arizona and he's expected to be in uniform when the Giants come to town.

Shaun Marcum gets the nod for the Brewers and he's been solid this season to the tune of a 6-1 record and a 2.37 earned run average in 10 starts. He has won three straight starts and hasn't lost since his 2011 debut on April 2 at Cincinnati. Marcum has allowed just one run in three of his last four starts and defeated Colorado the last time out in a 3-2 win on Saturday.

Marcum held the Rockies to a run and four hits in eight innings with a season high-tying eight strikeouts. The right-hander, who is 3-0 in four home outings, will make his second career start against San Francisco and did not record a decision in the first meeting.

San Francisco won five of seven matchups with Milwaukee a year ago, including a four-game sweep at Miller Park from July 5-8. The Giants are 55-46 against the Brewers since they joined the National League in 1998.